Wednesday

The Belmont Abbey junior sharpshooter’s runner with under three seconds remaining proved to be a game-winner, allowing the Crusaders to escape with a 95-92 win in overtime Wednesday night at the Wheeler Center.

Abrom finished with 42 points in the game, an output that tied for fourth all-time in school history. It was the most points scored by a Crusaders men’s basketball player since Tyshawn Good went for 43 against King University on Feb. 9, 2013.

His nine 3-pointers in the contest set a new school record.

“I have just been working on my game, and know my teammates depend on me and I have to come up big,” Abrom said.

The fact Belmont Abbey was even in position to retrieve a victory was a minor miracle itself.

Trailing for the nearly the entire first half, Mount Olive seized control of the contest in the opening minutes of the second. Hitting 11 of its first 17 shots to start the second half, the Trojans were able to push their lead to as many as 16.

Despite seemingly impossible odds, Belmont Abbey men’s basketball coach Billy Taylor urged patience rather than panic as the game moved down the stretch.

“I just tried to talk to the guys about it being one possession at a time, and to keep battling,” he said. “We didn’t really talk about the deficit, just to keep fighting and we showed a lot of resolve today. It was incredible.”

By no means did Mount Olive make the comeback trail easy, coolly knocking down free throws. Belmont Abbey would not be denied, though.

In the final minutes of regulation, the Crusaders knocked down three 3-pointers, in addition to wingman Ben Ferguson connecting on three free throws.

But as had been the case all night, it was Abrom who had the ball in his hands with the clock winding to all zeroes.

His stepback 3-pointer as the clock expired tied the game at 79-all, sending the teams to an extra period.

“I just tried to keep my composure and stay calm,” he said. “I knew I had to create space, so I tried to bait (the Mount Olive defender) and give him a hesitancy step back and it went in.”

The Belmont Abbey junior standout scored nine of his team’s 16 points in overtime, allowing it to retrieve a miraculous victory.

“Coming off a loss Saturday, we were second in conference so we knew we couldn’t take anymore losses,” he said. “We’re just trying to get back to first place.”

In addition to Abrom, the Romaeo Ferguson and Sean Halloran finished in double figures with 14 and 12 points, respectively.

As for Mount Olive, Alan Treakle led the way with 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Four other Trojans finished in double figures as well.

Belmont Abbey improves to 16-5 on the season, 9-2 in Conference Carolinas play.

On Wednesday, the Crusaders found another ingredient yet found victory still had the same sweet taste.

In a key Conference Carolinas matchup, Belmont Abbey used a third quarter flurry to get off the mat and finally vanquish a game Mount Olive squad, 71-61. With the win, it remains in sole possession of first place in the league.

After leading by as many as 12 in the first half, Mount Olive rallied to take a 40-39 lead midway through the third to take a 40-39 lead. With the Trojans protecting the 3-point line, the Crusaders opted to get the ball inside to forwards Keyanna Spivey and Brittany Autry.

Their reward? A 17-4 run that allowed the Crusaders to seize back control of the contest.

“(Mount Olive women’s basketball coach Wendy Lee) makes good adjustments to match up against our shooters, and we had the make an adjustment of our own to rely on the work we’ve done to this point to get us through,” said Belmont Abbey women’s basketball coach Jason Williams. “A proper inside-out game and not having to rely on one or the other, if we can have that constant balance and poise, our team will be able to play in more big time games and not get rattled. We’re just sticking to what we do, and I’m very proud of them.”

Spivey finished with 13 points, while Autry had 12. Belmont Abbey was led by Maria Kuhlman, who scored 14.

Allie Downing also was in double figures for Belmont Abbey with 11.

Despite the loss, Felecity Havens shined for Mount Olive. The senior forward had a game-high 31 points, though only six of those came during a fourth quarter in which her team struggled from the field, making only six of its 18 shots.

Jada Bacchus was the only other Trojan to reach double figures with 12.

Belmont Abbey improves to 13-6 overall, and 11-2 in Conference Carolinas. The Crusaders are now 1 ½ games ahead of second place Emmanuel, which was idle on Wednesday.

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